Connection Vs Addiction

Story by Tompaul Wheeler and V. Michelle Bernard

People commonly imagine that others become addicts because of the overwhelming pleasure it brings them, but in recent years, a compelling new explanation has emerged. Researchers have found that addicts turn to substances and compulsive behavior to make up for what’s missing in their lives. 

“Tons of research has been done to find out the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, but the opposite of addiction is connection,” says MyRon Edmonds, a life coach who helps people prioritize their lives. “Addiction really is a bonding issue. It’s a lack of community, and when we are alone and lonely and in shame, we have a tendency to self-medicate.” 

The journey to healing, overcoming addiction and addictive behavior calls for vulnerability. Vulnerability includes acknowledging that we’re struggling, that we need others’ help and that we can’t make it on our own—either without God or without others. 

“Inner healing is really just another way of saying that God works the work of sanctification and transformation in us,” says Edmonds. “‘Do not conform to this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (see Romans 12:2). That’s the first place where healing needs to happen.”